A tiny pump developed by a Cambridgeshire firm is being used in a wearable device designed to treat a condition that causes sufferers to stop breathing in their sleep.

The Disc Pump developed by TTP Ventus has been deployed in aerSleep, a novel system for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) developed by US firm Sommetrics.

OSA is a disorder characterised by airway collapse during sleep, causing sufferers to stop breathing temporarily. It is estimated that there are more than 100m sufferers worldwide.

The leading conventional treatment requires users to wear a face mask connected via a hose to a large bedside pump unit, which is often uncomfortable, disruptive, and can restrict users’ movement during sleep. Sommetrics aerSleep applies negative external air pressure to the outside of the neck by means of a soft collar, to gently move the tissue and tongue forward and prevent airway collapse. This approach avoids the need for a face-worn mask, helping to improve user comfort.

Jerry Aarestad, co-founder of Sommetrics, said: “We had already developed prototypes by the time we met TTP Ventus and we knew that our technology worked. However, during the early stages of development, our system shared a constraint with CPAP in that it required a connection to a bedside pump via a tube. Within minutes of seeing Disc Pump we knew that we’d found the solution we needed. Our whole plan had changed.”

The TTP Ventus Disc Pump

TTP Ventus is a spin-out of Melbourn technology design firm TTP, and was formed to take Disc Pump to market. The pump is silent and vibration-free, making it useful for wearable devices.

Tom Harrison, business development manager at TTP Ventus, added: “Sommetrics’ aerSleep is a great example of how Disc Pump can enable genuinely disruptive products. Silent operation was critical to enabling this wearable sleep product; in other applications it’s our millisecond response time or non-pulsatile flow that bring value. We are proud to have partnered with Sommetrics to bring this ground-breaking product to market, and we hope their success will inspire other applications of our technology.”

Authorities in Canada recently approved aerSleep for marketing to patients there. CE mark approval for European use is expected to follow later this year.